A classroom field experiment was conducted on the effects of preparation homework and practice homework on student achievement in a fifth-grade social studies class, when used in conjunction with cooperative learning. The study investigated whether cooperative learning with or without preparation or practice homework produces greater student…

The Infant Follow Along Program (IFAP) is an interagency effort to improve the identification of infants and toddlers who may experience health or developmental problems because of medical or environmental risk factors. The program also facilitates data collection and referral for services for infants and families. The program is in use in an…

Louisiana is one of the few states that uses indicator data to produce school report cards for statewide distribution to parents. The system, the Progress Profiles Program, produces report cards that must be accessible, meaningful, and understandable to a lay audience. An evaluation of the 1991-92 report cards was undertaken in 1993. In Phase 1…

A pilot study was undertaken in preparation for a longitudinal study of the influences of early childhood experiences on children's competence. The pilot study was designed to try out the interviews, observations, and other record-keeping procedures to be used in the main study. The pilot study sample consisted of 19 families with a child 4-to-5…

Students who take the National Education Development Test (NEDT) receive predictions of their test score range for college entrance examinations including the American College Testing Program (ACT). This study was undertaken to investigate the correlation between scores on the NEDT and the ACT. Sixty female students were selected from the junior…

Researchers too frequently consider the reliability of the scores they analyze, and this may lead to incorrect conclusions. Practice in this regard may be negatively influenced by telegraphic habits of speech implying that tests possess reliability and other measurement characteristics. Styles of speaking in journal articles, in textbooks, and in…

Mathematics contests, such as the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges' Student Mathematics League competition, are an excellent vehicle for identifying talented students and promoting mathematics scholarship. On-campus tournaments can supplement the Student Mathematics League national competition, by providing immediate feedback…

The 16 states of the central migrant stream provide education to a third of U.S. migrant children. In 14 of these states, most central stream students are currently migratory Hispanic elementary school children from Texas. States must identify the instructional needs of migrant children in order to target resources and services, but data on the…

The world of education can be considered a natural laboratory in which different countries are experimenting with different strategies. This report presents the findings of the First and Second International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Science Studies. The book contains the following chapters: (1) Issues in…

This update addresses major issues surrounding educational standards for all subject areas. It provides a review and analysis of standards and benchmarks in the content areas of science, mathematics, history, geography, reading, and writing. Also included is an analysis and description of the knowledge and skills considered important for the…

Electronic troubleshooting expertise was explored in the three contexts (design, production, and repair) that reflect distinct problem solving task environments. The purpose of the effort was to provide a more precise definition of the boundaries of expertise in electronics troubleshooting and the relationship of context to the development of…

This study investigated the procedures used by psychologists in a large midwestern urban area for the initial diagnosis and placement of elementary children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in educational programs in light of the widespread criticism of the use of projective tests due to the questionable reliability of the tests and…

Mastery learning can combine the strengths of direct instruction with the strengths of discovery learning. This paper describes how mastery learning is being used in Missouri schools to enhance the quality of instruction in science at all grade levels. In addition, the dramatic results in student science achievement that have occurred within the…

The Infant Monitoring Project was initiated in Polk County, Oregon, to address the need for monitoring the development of infants and young children designated as "at risk." The project involved a cooperative effort between the Polk County Health Department and the Teaching Research Division of the Oregon State System of Higher…

The academic achievement of limited-English-speaking (LEP) students has long been a major national educational concern. This digest focuses on: (1) factors that promote or inhibit academic achievement in a second language; (2) the length of time needed for LEP students to achieve at comparable levels in school with their native English-speaking…